American Idioms 4, B Flashcards
Baby blues
Blue eyes
Back at you
Same to you (used to return a greeting or insult)
Back in the day
In the past, some time ago
“Back in the day, he’d had one of the greatest minds I’d ever come across”.
Back to square one
Back to the start; forced to begin something again
Backburner (on the)
Not urgent; set aside until later
Backing and filling
Delaying a decision by making small changes or arguing about small details
Backroom boy(s)
People who work in anonymity
Bad blood
To have ill feelings towards someone
Bad taste in one’s mouth
Unease, a feeling that something unspecified is wrong in a situation
Bail out
To rescue someone from a bad situation, to shield someone from the consequences of his or her actions
Bat an eye
To avoid expressing surprise, fear, or shock
Bat/Play for both teams
To be bisexual
Bat/Play for the other team
To be homosexual
Be an item
Two people are an item when they are having a romantic relationship
Be kovey–dovey
Expressing your love in public by constantly kissing and hugging
Be footloose and fancy-free
To be free of responsibilities, including romantic commitments
Beat the air
Fighting without any purpose
“You are just beating the air if you want to turn him into a good boy”.
Beat the heat
Finding a way to stay cool when it is very hot outside
“I have found that drinking a cool glass of water helps to beat the heat in summer”.
Beau monde
A fashionable society
Beck and call
Being completely available to someone when needed
Beef up
To become big and muscular
“Google has beefed up its search algorithm to provide the best quality search result to its users”.
Beggar the neighbor
To do something beneficial for oneself without worrying about how it affects others
Behind the eight (or 8) ball
At a serious disadvantage
Belle of the ball
The most beautiful woman in gathering
Belly laugh
Loud, hearty laughter
Bet one’s bottom dollar (on something)
Be certain that something will happen
Bet the farm
Risk everything; spend all one’s money on something in hopes of success
Between a rock and a hard place
Having two very bad choices
“I hate my job but cannot quit owing to my economic condition. I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place”.
Between the devil and the deep blue sea
Between two equally difficult or unacceptable choices
“I’m really stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea”.
Beyond the shadow of a doubt
Absolutely certain
Beyound the pale
Unacceptable
“Nobody will want to be friends with you if you are considered beyond the pale in your social circle”.
Bigger fish to fry
To have other, more important things to do
“You are not worth my time or energy; I have bigger fish to fry”.
Bite the head off
Overreact in an angry or harsh way
“His mother nearly bit his head off when he got his new shoes dirty”.
Black and blue
Hurt, either bodily, emotionally, or psychologically
“The man beat his own mother black and blue!”
Blast from the past
A way to refer to something or someone reminding you of an earlier time.
Blind as a bat
Unconscious to something
“Maria is so in love she is as blind as a bat when it comes to Mark’s rude behavior”.
Blind impulse
The sudden and unaccountable desire to do something
Blood, sweat, and tears
Putting a lot of effort to get a task done
Blow away the cobwebs
If something blows away the cobwebs, it makes you feel more lively and refreshes your ideas
Blow away
Impress someone very much
Blow hot and cold
Shift one’s level of enthusiasm repeatedly
Blow mind
Upset or distract
Blowing smoke
To intentionally misinform or deceive.
Bosom friend
Best friend who is very close to you
Break new ground
To do something innovative
Break the mold
To do something different from what is expected
Bright spark
An intelligent and lively person (humorously).
Brown study
Melancholy mood accompanied by deep
Bury head in the sand
Hide from the truth
Bury the hatchet
To stop fighting or arguing or to end old resentments
Button your lip
Stop speaking
Buy the farm
To die
By dint of
As a result of something
Black mood
To be angry, irritable, or in a temper
“Geoff was in one of his black moods today, and no amount of cajoling could snap him out of it”.
